


Until I took an arrow in the knee...

by rainbowshoes



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Skyrim Fusion, Anal Sex, Classism, Drinking, M/M, Magic, Past Brainwashing, Past Torture, Period-Typical Racism, Scars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2020-03-29 11:26:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19018972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowshoes/pseuds/rainbowshoes
Summary: "What is better? To be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?" - PaarthurnaxA Skyrim AU (with some twists because why not)Tony just wants to work his forge and maybe get Peggy back to where she's supposed to be - after all, it's not like he can leave Solitude until she's better and back on the throne.Bucky's been traveling with Steve for about a year now, as they've been making their way slowly toward Solitude. They kept getting side-tracked along the way, but that was all right. Soon, Steve will have his girl back and then Bucky... well. He isn't sure what he'll do, just yet.When Bucky asks Tony to fix Steve's sword late on the night he arrives in Solitude, things change for both of them - and for a lot of other people, too. Steve might get his happy ending, but Bucky and Tony don't know if theirs is waiting for them or not. They'll just have to find out.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> no one asked for this  
> but i'm a nerd  
> and i've been playing a lot of skyrim recently  
> so have this  
> i added some extra things here and there, and changed some others  
> (the smithing, namely, and how the ingredients are used - that's not possible in-game, but i've always wished it was)  
> have fun!

There wasn't anything quite like working a forge late at night, when the bitter cold winds and snows were kept at bay by the fires burning hot and sweat rolled down his forehead and gathered at the small of his back from exertion. Tony loved those quiet moments best, primarily because he didn't have to deal with anyone trying to bother him. 

Of course, that was exactly when someone  _ fucking bothered him _ . 

"You open for business or just working the forge?" The question was gruff, but loud enough to be heard over the hiss of steam from the forge where Tony was trying to bend the metal for a set of brilliant red gauntlets. He sighed and sat them to the side, letting them cool for now. They were almost right, but not quite perfect. 

"Depends on what you need," Tony said, finally turning his attention to the man who'd wandered up. It wasn't wholly unusual to see travelers wandering around so late at night. The inn did quite a lot of business in the small hours, and there were a few people willing to do business if one looked in the right places. 

The man shrugged a heavy-looking knapsack from his back and sat it on the workbench. He took the hilt of a broken greatsword that stuck out from the end and sat it on the bench beside the bag, then opened the bag and dug out something else wrapped in an oiled, canvas cloth. When he unwound it, Tony saw the rest of the broken blade. 

"My uh, my - brother. He broke his sword cracking a draugr's skull out in one of those damned crypts. He's got himself an orcish blade for now, but he wants this one fixed, if possible. We've been asking everyone we've stumbled across. It's enchanted." The man shrugged. 

Tony stepped closer and ran his fingers along the flat of the blade. It sparked deep purple and firey red at his touch. "These enchantments are damn near worn to bits," Tony remarked casually. He took another look at the man now that he was closer. The man was a few inches taller - no great shock, that - and he had long dark hair and piercing blue eyes. There was an old scar cut through his eyebrow, and he had dark circles under his eyes. "I can fix this. Do you have the septims?"

"Yeah," the man said with a nod. He looked a little thrown that Tony had said he could fix it at all.

"I'm more curious that this is a daedric sword. Not too many people willing to mess around with dremora." Tony kept his question casual, trying to make it seem like passing interest. 

"I don't know where he got the damn thing," the man said, somewhat sourly. "It's been more damn trouble than it's worth." He shook his head. "What about the enchantments? Do you know anyone we can see about those?"

Tony nodded. "I do. Where is your brother?" He tried not to seem disappointed that he wouldn't get the story behind the blade. He only knew of one reliable place to find dremora, and he wondered if there was another.

The man flapped a hand. "Somewhere. Probably terrorizing some poor thief or other into changing their ways by giving them his disappointed face and a long speech on the good of the empire." The man snorted. "This is Solitude. He'll be at it all night. He has a lady friend he wanted to see, anyhow?"

"Oh?" Tony asked, not quite looking at the man as he took both halves of the blade and deposited them nearer the forge. 

"Someone named Peggy Carter? You wouldn't happen to know her, would you? Seemed like the place she'd been in last had been cleared out when we stopped by." 

Tony tried not to stiffen. He nodded. "She, ah, she's moved up to the Blue Palace, now." He could feel the man's gaze piercing his back. "Look, she isn't exactly… all there at the moment, if you get my meaning. We've - I mean, everyone has been searching for something to cure her, but no one has had much luck."

"What happened?" the man asked.

"She was fucking around in the Pelagius Wing and… I'm fairly certain she ran up against the damn Daedric Prince." Tony felt his mood sour at the thought. He'd  _ told  _ Peggy not to try, but she hadn't listened. "Shegorath. He's a… well. He's not the most friendly. Locked Pelagius up in his own mind and drove him mad. Peggy just… sort of tuned into a shell. She'll eat if we tell her to, but mostly she just sleeps or stares out the window."

"Steve and I can get her back," the man offered.

"Steve?" Tony asked. He turned and looked at the man again. "As in the Steve who left her ten years ago to go off adventuring and never came back?"

The man grimaced. "That'd be him. Though, to be fair, that wasn't entirely his fault. He was frozen for a bit, and then there was the whole thing where he was trapped in the Oblivion for a while, and - look, he can explain it himself a lot better." The man held out his hand. "I'm Bucky. I'm not really his brother, but I've know the stubborn punk most of our lives."

"I'm Tony," he said, taking the offered hand and giving it a shake. "This seems like it's going to be a lot of trouble. Tell you what. You go find Steve and tell him what's happened. It'll take me some time to get this sword to rights. After that, if the two of you can get Peggy fixed up, we'll call it even on the cost of the sword, and I'll even throw in some extra goodies I have lying around that I haven't been able to sell." He didn't want to admit to just how  _ badly _ Solitude - and the entire empire - needed Peggy back to her old self again. They were doing the best they could, but there were too many problems in too many places, and Peggy had always had a head for figuring out those sorts of things. 

Bucky looked shocked again, but he nodded readily. "All right, yeah. We'll do it, of course. Steve and I haven't met a challenge we couldn't face. Uh, yet."

"Good," Tony said with a nod. "Now go on. Tell Happy down at the Winking Skeever that I said you could stay there tonight." Tony reached under his shirt and tugged a simple gold necklace with a small ruby from around his neck and held it out to Bucky. "Show him this. He won't give you any trouble. In the morning, go to the palace and talk to Pepper. She's the stewardess. Show her the necklace, too, when you start asking about Peggy and the Pelagius Wing."

Bucky accepted the necklace and slipped it around his own neck, fitting it right beside - curiously - an Amulet of Mara. Tony kept the observation to himself for now. Perhaps if Bucky and Steve were able to help Peggy after all, he would express interest, but it probably wouldn't do much good anyhow. Adventurers weren't exactly the type to settle down. (Not that Tony ever stayed in Solitude for long, himself, but this was the home forge, and this was where the last of his family resided, and he found himself returning time and time again.)

"Thank you," Bucky said with a nod. He looked at the blade again. "Bloody greatsword," he muttered. He looked at Tony. "Maybe you can make it a regular sword? I'll buy the thrice damned fool a shield."

Tony smirked. "Not a problem." He tossed in a wink, for good measure. "I'm good at the blame the blacksmith game. It's fun."

Bucky flushed, embarrassed. "No, I - I didn't mean it like that."

"Go on," Tony said, waving him away. "Places to go, people to see. And I've a sword to fix." Bucky nodded, though he still looked ashamed, and backed away a few paces before turning on his heel and walking away very quickly. Tony snorted and turned his attention to the blade. 

It was… junk, at this point. The blade was shattered, not simply broken. They'd saved the two biggest pieces, but others were clearly missing. The blade was badly nicked and scarred. The enchantments were all but dead. Tony scoffed at the sorry state of the blade and grabbed his hammer. The hilt was dragonbone wrapped in good, blue leather. He'd likely  _ have _ to make the blade smaller if he didn't want to deplete his own stores of daedra hearts too badly. Well, that was what Bucky wanted anyhow. He grinned and got to work, first separating the blade from the hilt, then leaving the pieces to heat over the fire so he could mold them anew. He ducked inside his shop, mostly used for storage these days, and found the dusty jars of daedra hearts. He had no idea how many he'd need, so he made several trips to carry out about a dozen of those, plus some good ebony ingots.

He hadn't challenged himself this way in far too long. Not since the dragonbone shield, certainly. And oh. That was an idea, wasn't it? He grinned to himself as he began to stoke the flames in the forge, adding some fire salts to increase the flames' potency, along with a briar heart and a few creep clusters to restore the magicka used to create the enchantments on the blade in the first place. He would work some pearl into the blade later to restore the user's stamina and their own magicka, but that was only a little bonus. 

As he got to work, he wondered at Bucky's brief explanation for where Steve had been all these years and just how true it could possibly be. 


	2. Chapter 2

Tony's necklace had a great deal of magic in it. Bucky could feel it. He'd shown it to the innkeeper, Happy, the night before, but he hadn't taken it off - not even to bathe off the days and days of grime and sweat since his last proper bath in Karthwasten. He felt better, stronger. He wondered what sort of enchantments were on the unassuming, deceptively simple piece. It was beautifully crafted, too. Dull, bright yellow gold with a small ruby on a pendant. The ruby shined brightly in the firelight. Steve had only teased him a little for being so enamored with the necklace - and for his fumbling with words when he'd tried to explain the blacksmith who'd given it to him. 

The innkeeper hadn't only given them rooms. He'd provided them with a hot meal, good, strong ale, and he'd had a girl come and fetch their dirty clothes for washing. Breakfast had come with the same, but with mead rather than ale - sweet and light - and more food than even the two of them could eat. They dressed and repacked their belongings and headed off for the Blue Palace, after. That had been more difficult. Pepper, the stewardess, wasn't inclined to believe everything they said just because Bucky had Tony's necklace. She'd heard them out, though, and she'd finally allowed them access to the Pelagius Wing. 

It was creepy as fuck, too. There were cobwebs everywhere, but despite that, there were lit candles to keep the place at least somewhat illuminated. Bucky didn't know who had been in here last to light the candles. If they'd been maids, why not clean the place up a bit? Yet there were cups and plates scattered over the floor and chairs haphazardly scattered about. There were bottles of ale and wine here and there, but those looked just as dusty as everything else. The rushes on the floor were moldy and stunk. It didn't stop them, though. 

They walked up to the second floor cautiously. It was just as bad for dust and cobwebs up there, but the furniture wasn't in such disarray, at least, and Bucky didn't have to worry about tripping over anything. He kept one hand on one of his daggers, but he didn't draw it. There wasn't a need, not yet. They left a dining room area and began walking down a carpeted hall. It was brightly lit from the sun outside, but Bucky didn't like the oppressive feeling. 

"What the -" 

His head snapped to the side, but there was a void-dark flash that consumed Steve before he vanished. 

"No!" Bucky shouted. "Steve!" He yanked his daggers from his belt and ran down the hall, throwing open doors and looking into each room he came across before he reached the end. He went back and looked through the first two rooms they'd come through. There was no sign of Steve at all. He reached up, almost unconsciously, and wrapped one hand around the necklace Tony the blacksmith had given him. It was warm.

"Where is Steve?" he whispered into the empty nothingness. 

Before he quite had the time to completely lose his mind with fear and worry, there was a weird popping sound. He jerked around, both daggers raised to attack, one frosted over with ice and ready to apply the damage to his enemy, the other a brilliant poison green, ready to drain their stamina. Steve was standing in the middle of the hall looking around, very confused - wearing different clothes and holding a strange-looking staff. 

"What the  _ hell _ ?" Bucky demanded. 

"Buck?" Steve asked, slapping on a grin. "Hey! So, I think I did it?" He wandered over and tugged a vial from his pocket. "Shegorath said this would restore Peggy's mind. We should have the court wizard look at it first, though."

"What happened?" Bucky demanded. "You vanished!"

"Uh, so," Steve rubbed the side of his neck. "I had to attend this really weird dinner party thing? With Shegorath? He's - anyway." Steve shook his head. "He gave me this staff. I had to fight off some stuff for Pelagius. Shegorath said he was bored with mortals, though, so I don't think he'll be back any time soon, at least."

Bucky sighed and shoved his daggers in their sheaths. Typical. "What does the staff do?"

"I don't - know?" Steve said, like it was a question. "Every time I tried to use it, something different happened. It conjured a dremora to fight for me at one point? Another time it used sparks. And then -"

"I get it. Weird magic staff from a weird Daedric Prince. Probably shouldn't mess with that thing too much, huh?" Bucky was leery of it even more now than he had been. He had a Daedric weapon himself, but he didn't trust it, either. And this staff seemed a lot more crazy than his very light, very strong dagger. Mehrune's Razor would kill him if he was disarmed and someone else grabbed it to kill him with it, but he was sure enough in his grip that he didn't often worry. Often.

"Yeah, it's going to go straight to Fury," Steve said with a nod. He looked down at himself and grimaced. "Hold it for a moment, would you? I want to get back in my armor." Bucky sighed, a great, huffing, put-upon thing that made Steve roll his eyes, but he accepted the strange staff nonetheless and held it delicately. Steve shucked the fancy, frilly things he'd been changed into - magically, Bucky assumed - and found his armor in his knapsack. Bucky wasn't sure how it was all actually  _ in there _ , but he was content to blame magic again. Once Steve was kitted out in his ebony armor, he sighed and shifted a few times, making sure everything was settled comfortably. Bucky still preferred his leather, but he didn't judge Steve for being a loud, hulking mass. 

They left the Pelagius Wing and went immediately to Pepper. She took the vial and handed it off to the court wizard, a frumpy-looking man named Bruce. Bruce took one look at it, decided it was exactly what Shegorath had claimed it was, and went to give it to Peggy. Steve visibly wanted to go, too, so Bucky waved him off. 

"I suppose I should reward you," Pepper said. "We've needed Peggy back with us for quite some time. No one else has had any success."

"Tony said he'd fix Steve's sword for him, in exchange," Bucky explained. "And Steve would have done it anyway. He… he doesn't do any of this for any sort of reward." Bucky didn't mention that they often made their fortunes finding all sorts of things in draugr-infested crypts and selling them, or by taking bounties against bandits and Forsworn. That didn't seem important at the moment.

"Very well," Pepper said with a nod. "Go and see Tony, then. And tell him to come up to the Palace. He should be here when Peggy comes back to herself. She's his cousin, after all."

Bucky nodded, pretending like that news wasn't a shock, and turned to take his leave. He wandered the long road back to Tony's forge. He cut around by the side to walk by the headstones and passed under the bridge that connected the south gate to the Emperor's Tower. He took the switchback path by the apothecary up to the blacksmith's shop. The fletcher was outside, today. Bucky nodded politely before heading over to Tony's shop. He wasn't outside tending the forge, and when he tried the door, it was locked.

"Tony's sleeping." Startled, Bucky flinched, nearly drawing his dagger to stab the poor fletcher in the gut before he wrestled control over himself. "Sorry." The fletcher was - barely - out of arm's reach. "Shove over." Buck stepped to the side and watched as the fletcher tugged a lockpick from his pocket. It took him a moment to get in, but then the door was open, and the fletcher was grinning. "Tony refuses to give me a key because he likes to see how good I am against his locks. He hasn't made any that can keep me out yet." 

"Uh huh," Bucky said with a nod. It wasn't like he believed the guy. "Thanks." He stepped inside, and he was unsurprised that the fletcher followed him. He kept half an eye on him to make sure he wasn't stealing anything. 

Tony was curled up on a bed on the first floor, asleep near the hearth. Bucky didn't blame him. All these stone buildings had to get damned cold, especially in Frost Fall and the other cold months. He walked closer. "Tony?" 

"Go 'way," Tony mumbled, turning over on his side, away from the light of the smoldering fire. 

"Hey, Tony, I broke in again," the fletcher said cheerfully. He walked over and sat on the edge of Tony's bed and began to poke Tony's cheek. "Tony, Tony, Tony!"

"Fuck  _ off _ , Clint!" Tony snapped, batting away the offending appendage. Bucky snorted. 

"Okay, fine, then I'm going to take all your sweetrolls." Clint stood and walked over to the small kitchen area just off to the side of where Tony's bed had been set up. There was a wardrobe there that was clearly serving as some sort of pantry. When Clint opened it, Bucky saw several sweetrolls, some honey nut treats, an apple pie that was only missing one slice, dumplings of some sort, and some taffy as well. It was an impressive array, especially considering there didn't seem to be any other sort of food. 

"Does he ever eat anything but sweets?" Bucky asked, somewhat distressed.

"Huh?" Clint asked with his mouth full of sweetroll already. He swallowed hard. "Oh, yeah. Just not here, usually. He goes down to the Winking Skeever or up to the Blue Palace or somewhere. Sometimes Rhodey cooks." 

"Who did you let in my house?" Tony groaned, his head now covered by his furs. "It wasn't funny the last time, and it isn't funny this time."

"Okay, but the last time was for your name day, and that was  _ totally _ funny," Clint argued. "It's not my fault you didn't want anything to do with the poor girl. And this one is a customer, I think."

"Even worse," Tony groaned. He finally shoved the furs down and forced himself to sit up. He looked at Bucky and blinked slowly. Bucky tried to fight his blush. Tony's black hair was sticking up all over his head, and his night shirt was so big it was hanging off one shoulder. He was very… soft. "Oh. It's you. Um. Bucky, right?"

"Right," Bucky said with a nod. He, reluctantly, took the necklace from around his neck and held it out to Tony. "Thanks for this, by the way. Steve managed to get some sort of potion. The wizard, Bruce, he said it would work on Peggy. Pepper asked me to tell you to head up there to see her."

"Not right now," Tony said dismissively. He shoved the furs away and stood, stretching as he went. His bare legs were slender, and Bucky tried valiantly not to stare at any of Tony as he found a pair of pants and began tugging them on. 

"Wait, you fixed Peggy?" Clint asked. Bucky shrugged and nodded.  _ Steve _ had, but it was all the same to most people because he was traveling with Steve. "That's amazing!" He turned to Tony and offered him a steaming mug of something he'd just poured from a kettle. "Think you'll want to start traveling again, Tony?"

"I  _ have _ to," Tony said as he accepted the mug. He took a long sip. "I'm running low on a lot of supplies, and it isn't like I can ask for them from the other holds. Even the apothecaries don't carry enough of what I need." 

"Rhodey can run your shop for you, and Katie-Kate can look after mine, and we can go together," Clint said with a wide grin. "It's perfect!"

"Don't pack your bags yet," Tony said with a sigh. "I want to give Pegs some time, but I do need to talk to her before I go running off. She'll probably have me do a dozen or more things for her while we're gone."

"Nothing we haven't dealt with before," Clint pointed out. Bucky felt like he was intruding on their conversation, but he couldn't find the right words or a break in their conversation to excuse himself. 

"Later," Tony said, then yawned. He looked at Bucky. "I'm sorry. I've… not had much sleep. Anyhow." He shrugged and set his mug on the table before shoving his feet into a pair of boots and exchanging the night shirt for a different shirt and an blacksmith's apron. He led them outside to his forge and took a moment to get it lit and warm. Then he walked around to the side of the building and opened a different door. When he returned, he had Steve's sword - in a brand new scabbard - and a beautiful dragonbone shield. He sat both on the workbench, then went into the room again and returned with two other things - an intricate and delicately designed bow and a slim dagger. 

"First," Tony said as he pointed to the sword. "It's not a regular sword, but it isn't a greatsword, either. It's a bastard sword. A hand-and-a-half. It can be used as a two-handed weapon or as a one-handed weapon. You were missing some pieces from the original, so I really did have to take some off of it to make it workable again." He slid it from the scabbard and showed Bucky the freshly gleaming blade, the enchantments fresh and strong. "The blade is inlaid with a bit of peal now, too. It should help with restoring magicka and stamina, but only a little." 

He turned his attention to the shield after sliding the blade into the scabbard. "I made this a while back. I'd found the dragonbone and decided to make a shield. Armor is unwieldy and a sword like that… well, let's just say I didn't want to do it. But a shield? Anyhow."

"It's three different colors," Bucky said, his hand grazing over the bone gently. 

"It will resist fire and magic," Tony said with a small smile. "Those are only the enchantments, but there was a lot that went into the forging process, as well. There's a list." Tony tapped the piece of paper tied to the shield. "That helped with a lot of bonus additions, but it also cemented the colors nicely." 

"It looks like a giant target," Clint said with a laugh. "I could see that thing for leagues." 

"Yes, hawkass," Tony said, rolling his eyes, "I know." He shook his head. "Anyhow. The bow. It's made of ebony. It has the soul trap and fire enchantments, like the sword. Clint has arrows, if you want or need them. If you don't want the bow, speak up. Clint has been drooling all over it for weeks now." 

Bucky caressed the end of the bow. "She's beautiful. Of course I want her." He hadn't had a bow since his own was lost in Avanchnzel, the Dwemer ruin. He'd nearly lost his  _ life  _ in that ruin, too, but he'd escaped by the skin of his teeth. He'd hated Dwemer ruins ever since, and he never let Steve forget it, either. He'd tried using other bows, of course, but the Dwarven bow he'd had immediately after the ruin hadn't been the best, and he'd lost that one, too, after a nasty tangle with some Forsworn. He hadn't bothered with another permanent bow since. 

"All right," Tony said with a nod. He didn't ask about Bucky's reaction. "Finally, the dagger. It's daedric. I figured, if your friend has a daedric sword, why shouldn't you get a daedric dagger to match the one you already have?" Bucky figured he shouldn't have been surprised that Tony had caught on to what his dagger was, even in the dark and during their very brief interaction. "I really want the story behind how you got that, by the way."

"Maybe some other time," Bucky said with a faint smile. He didn't want to get into that just now. He wanted to enjoy Tony's company for a little while longer, first. He had very few doubts that Tony wouldn't want much to do with him after he'd learned who Bucky was and what he'd done. 

"Of course," Tony said with a nod, accepting that with no further inquiry. "I have an order to fill before I head up to the Palace, but if you want to try out your new bow, Clint can get you sorted."

"Thank you," Bucky said softly. "This… feels like too much."

"If Peggy really is back to her old self again? It's not enough at all," Tony said.

Bucky took the bow and slid it into place on his back. He felt settled in a way he hadn't for a long time with a bow on his back again. He removed his old dagger, the glass one, and set it on Tony's workbench before sliding the new one home. He frowned at the sword and shield. 

"Leave them here for now, if you want to shoot," Tony suggested. "They won't walk off." Bucky nodded his thanks and looked to Clint.

"Let's get you some arrows, then," Clint said with a grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah, yeah, i know hand-and-a-half swords don't exist in skyrim  
> but it's my au and i'll do what i want  
> also if anyone wants the list i mention for all those ingredients? i actually did make that list (i'm a fuckin NERD)  
> ALSO i was NOT going to write the entire pelagius quest line. so i noped the fuck out of that and left bucky behind. oops? it wasn't that important anyway.


	3. Chapter 3

It had seemed like Bucky very much enjoyed his time spent with Clint, acquainting himself with his new bow. He returned to the forge with a small smile on his face and several furs. He left them all with Tony, claiming he didn't need them and couldn't possibly carry them. Tony sent them off to the tanner via courier and went to make himself presentable for the Blue Palace. Pepper hated it when he showed up smelling like the forge. 

He and Bucky - and Clint, who had invited himself along - made their way to the palace before it was time for the evening meal. Tony went straight up the stairs to the throne, and he nearly lost his breath when he found Peggy sitting there. She smiled at him, and he darted forward to hug her. 

"We were wondering when you might finally arrive," she said with a wry smile. 

"It almost seemed too good to be true," Tony admitted. He noticed a hulking blond man in ebony armor beside her. That must have been Steve. They'd been something of an item before Tony moved to Solitude. He'd only come after the death of his parents. He'd been smithing in all the holds before that, learning everything he could from anyone who would take the time to teach him. He'd picked up quite a few other skills during that time, as well, but no one really needed to know about those.

"Tony, this is Steve," she said, introducing them formally. "Steve, this is Tony, my cousin." She'd only dropped the "little" from her introductions after she'd personally witnessed him take down a giant that had been tearing through one of the farms outside of the city. The guards had only succeeded in pissing it off. 

"Well met," Steve said with a low, formal nod. Tony wondered if Steve had any inkling of an idea that he was talking to the Crown Prince of the empire. He hoped not. There was a reason he'd given over that job to Peggy. 

"You as well," Tony said. He didn't nod. Peggy would have probably boxed his ears for it. He sighed internally. If Bucky had been at all interested before, this was sure to send him running. Court niceties had to be observed, though. He turned to the side and gestured to Bucky. "For your services in restoring Peggy to her proper place, I've repaired your sword and brought you a gift."

Bucky stepped forward uncertainly. He didn't look entirely out of place in his armor. Peggy's housecarl, a plain, unassuming man named Phil, was always in his armor and never far from her side. He untied the sword from his belt and offered that first. Steve took it and drew it from its sheath, marveling at the blade. 

"It's - shorter," Steve said, suddenly frowning.

"I didn't have all the pieces," Tony said with a shrug. "It's a bastard sword. It can be used with one or two hands. The enchantments have been restored, as well." He didn't bother mentioning the extras in the blade. They weren't overly important. Steve sheathed the sword, though he seemed disgruntled.

Bucky offered up the shield next, a small frown on his face. He was staring intently at Steve, but Tony couldn't guess at what was going on behind that stare. Steve hefted it onto his arm and nodded at the weight of it.

"Thank you," Steve said, polite but distant.

"Steve," Bucky hissed.

"If that's all?" Tony asked, looking to Peggy. She frowned at him, then looked to Steve. She raised her eyebrow at Tony, who shrugged. He was innocent. He'd only worked on that gods-forsaken shield for a  _ month _ . He felt, every piece had its proper master. Steve was clearly the proper master for that shield. That didn't mean he had to like the man wielding it, though. 

"Very well," Peggy said with a sigh and a shake of her head. "I know you'll want to be off again as soon as possible, now that I'm back." She looked at Pepper, and Pepper sighed too before giving Tony a folded piece of paper and squeezing his hand. "I don't trust anyone else to do what you do for me Tony."

"Sure, Pegs," Tony said with a small smile. He turned and left again, catching Phil's slightly disapproving look out of the corner of his eye. He stepped carefully down each stair and made himself walk slowly and at a controlled pace until he was out of the palace, then he stomped off toward the covered area beside the courtyard.

"That was - something," Clint said, catching up to him and leaning against a pillar. "What the hell was going on in there?"

"I don't know!" Tony said, frustrated beyond reason. "I spent more than a  _ month  _ on that fucking shield! And that doesn't include all the ingredients I had to get, or the amount it's worth, or everything I had to prepare beforehand. I know I'm just some common blacksmith to him, but I've never been - been -"

"Disrespected." Tony whirled around and found Bucky standing there. "I'm sorry for him. He isn't usually like that. I don't know what's gotten into him. I couldn't - didn't feel right to tell him off, not in front of all those people, but I will. Believe that, Tony. I will. He doesn't deserve your kindness."

"He doesn't deserve Peggy," Tony said hotly. He made a frustrated sound and shook his head. "I'm going back to my forge." He walked off without waiting for either Bucky or Clint, but they seemed to keep up with him without issue.

Tony stormed into his little house by his forge and tore off his finery as quickly as he could. He found his pants and shirt and a coat and slipped into those instead, then stepped into his boots. He found both Bucky and Clint standing outside waiting for him. Bucky still had all his gear with him. He sighed and opened the door again.

"At least put your things inside so you don't have to carry them," Tony said. Bucky nodded and ducked inside. He dropped off his knapsack and his bow and quiver, but his daggers stayed on his belt. Tony locked the door once more, and the three of them walked down to the Winking Skeever together.

Tony sat them at a table in the back, and Bucky and Clint both took chairs with their backs to the wall. Tony didn't mind having his back to the room. He preferred not to be recognized. Happy swung by almost as soon as they were seated with a large, icy bottle of Argonian ale and tankards for the three of them.

"We heard about Peggy," Happy said, clapping Tony on the back. Tony only nodded. Happy, bless him, understood from that simple gesture that Tony didn't want to talk about it. "Food will be up soon. May will bring it by."

"Thanks, Hap." Tony poured the ale for them, filling their mugs, and he drank half of his mug down as quickly as he could.

"So, what did Pegs tell you we needed to do?" Clint asked, leaning forward.

Tony didn't bother to argue with the 'we' part of that statement. Peggy knew perfectly well that Clint was going with him. "The end destination is Riften," Tony said after a quick glance at Bucky. "But we'll have to stop by Markarth first, then Whiterun, then Windhelm. There are… rumors."

"HYDRA," Bucky said, with some heat, though it was muted. "Fucking Altmer. They want to turn Skyrim into their own perfect utopia. They've been persecuting the Dunmer and the Argonians for  _ months _ . It's all kept hush-hush, though, because they have contracts with a lot of mercenaries. Anyone who causes any sort of rukus about it finds themselves on the wrong end of a blade."

"That," Tony said with a nod. "We've known about it, a little. Everyone we've sent to investigate hasn't returned. We stopped sending anyone after the fifth failed to return. Pepper couldn't stomach sending anyone else to their deaths. Peggy doesn't want to mobilize the Imperial Army against them just yet, though. She wants to know what they're planning, exactly, and how they mean to accomplish it. I'm being sent as an envoy to the crown. They won't dare kill or imprison me."

Bucky snorted. "You're pretty, doll, I'll give you that, and you can work the forge like magic, but that won't stop them. It will only encourage them."

"You seem to know a lot about them," Clint said, a hard look in his eye, though he kept his posture loose and relaxed. 

"I -" Bucky clenched his fist tight, then moved it under the table out of sight. It was shaking, Tony realized. "I was their captive. For years. Altmer are good at magic, you know. They kept me as their thrall." Tony felt the ale in his belly try to crawl back up his throat. He drank more to force it back down. "I did a lot of things I'm not - I can't think about. Because they forced me to do them. Steve found me. Killed the one holding me thrall. It broke the spell. I'd tried to kill him, though. I made sure he was alive, even half out of my mind, and then I ran from him. He found me a year later, outside of Riften."

"Don't hate all elves," Clint said with a shrug. "Not because of them."

"I don't," Bucky said, surprise coloring his tone as he looked up at him. "Only HYDRA."

"Good," Clint said with a nod. "I'm half Bosmer, you realize."

"I thought as much," Bucky said with a nod. "One of Steve's best friends is from Hammerfell. I'm a Nord, but Steve is an Imperial."

"And Brucie turns into an orc sometimes," Tony said with a shrug. "It's not about who you know, it's about how you treat  _ everyone _ ." 

" _ Skyrim _ is for everyone," Bucky shot right back. "Argonians and Dunmer included."

"Gods, I'm going to hate Windhelm," Tony sighed, thinking of how certain groups of people didn't think the way they did. Winhelm was one of the nine holds that managed to gather a distressing number of people who disliked anyone who wasn't a Nord. Clint toasted him for that. "Anyway. We've been tasked to root out HYDRA, and so we're going to give it a go."

"We should grab Nat on the way," Clint said thoughtfully. 

"Do you even know where she is?" Tony asked.

"Nope," Clint said cheerfully. "I'm sure I can find her, though. It never takes long."

"We might need her," Tony shrugged. "Wasn't she running around with the Companions at one point?"

"And she's been in the Thieves Guild, the Dark Brotherhood, an actual Nightingale, and a Blade. She never sticks around any of them." Clint said, ticking off all the organizations on his fingers as he listed them. "We're just lucky she likes us." 

"I think she tolerates us," Tony corrected with a smile. Natasha was a gift to them, and Tony would be forever grateful for her.

"That's true," Clint said with a nod. He looked at Bucky. "Is your, uh -" Tony knew Clint had spied the Amulet of Mara, as well, based on his hesitation. 

"Steve?" Bucky asked with a raised eyebrow. Clint nodded. "He's like my brother."

"Is he staying here for a while, do you think?" Clint finished asking. 

"I'm not sure," Bucky said with a frown. 

"The more the merrier," Clint offered, gesturing between himself and Tony. "We get distracted a lot and wind up doing fifty million more things than what we were sent to do, but it gets done in the end." 

"I'll talk to Steve," Bucky said with a nod. He looked at Tony. "You don't mind me tagging along?"

"We met Bruce because of a similar situation," Tony admitted. "And T'Challa, but he's back in Hammerfell."

"Then there's Scott and Hope," Clint added. He looked at Bucky. "They're Argonians. They live in Falkreath."

"There's a lot of people we've met on these trips," Tony said. "And we would have gotten into all sorts of trouble without them. Worse trouble. Or, I guess, trouble we couldn't have gotten ourselves out of."

"Oh gods, remember Avanchnzel?" Clint asked with a groan. 

"I  _ hate _ that place," Tony said heatedly. 

"At least I'm not the only one," Bucky muttered into his tankard.

May brought their food over to them then, and she greeted Tony and Clint warmly and even had a smile for Bucky. She didn't stick around, but her nephew, Peter, came to say hello a moment later when he brought a fresh bottle of ale for their table. Tony thanked him by slipping an extra few septims in his pocket without his noticing. Bucky noticed, though, and that was interesting.

They ate and drank and shared the more light-hearted and comical stories of their adventures around Skyrim. Even Bucky told a few stories, though he didn't seem to have as many in the same vein. Tony drank a lot as they talked, needing to forget his ire at Steve and how he wouldn't be close to protect Peggy while he was gone. He trusted Phil and Pepper to do that while he was gone, but if something happened to her, he knew he'd never forgive himself. So he drank and laughed and sang along with the minstrel and watched Clint hustle a few people from their septims at games. Bucky was a quiet, steady presence at his side the entire night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> natasha never does make into the actual story, yall  
> sorry :(  
> but she's got an impressive as fuck resume don't she?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the end of this chapter has sex but there's touchy-feely stuff at the beginning and toward the middle

When it came time to get Tony home, Clint was useless. He could barely keep his own feet under himself, much less help the stumbling Tony walk back to his house by the forge. So Bucky figured he would help, not least because he still needed to get his things from Tony's house. He carefully draped one of Tony's arms around his shoulders and he held onto Tony's waist as he and Clint and Tony walked out into the cold night. It was refreshing rather than bitter, thanks to the ale and so much time spent indoors near a hot fire. 

Tony seemed to sober fairly quickly, enough that he wasn't stumbling, but not enough, apparently, that he wanted to - or felt he could, Bucky wasn't sure - let go of Bucky and walk on his own. The switchback path leading up to the forge and fletcher was a little tricky, but no one fell off the edge, so Bucky counted it a success. He hadn't had as much to drink as Tony and Clint, but even he was nicely drunk. 

Clint headed for his shop and his bed above it, shouting a loud goodnight to them both. Bucky smiled, amused, and walked with Tony to his door. Tony found his key and unlocked the door without any fumbling or missing the lock. Bucky walked inside with him and pulled the door shut to keep the chill outside. 

"Do you want me to do anything for you before I leave?" Bucky asked as Tony made his way to the hearth. Tony knelt before it and coaxed the embers back to life, doing a fancy little touch of magic to respark them. 

"I'm not certain you'll like my answer," Tony said with a smirk as he stood. Bucky felt his eyebrows draw together over his nose. Tony came closer, then closer still. Bucky didn't move as Tony reached up and tapped the amulet around his neck. "You're wearing an Amulet of Mara." Bucky nodded and swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry. "Found anyone who's caught your interest yet?"

"Maybe," Bucky admitted. He looked into Tony's deep brown eyes and felt like he was falling. "I'm pretty sure he's highborn, though. Not sure he'd be interested in broken old assassin like me."

Tony trailed his fingers across Bucky's collar bone, and Bucky fought against the shiver that ran down his spine. "What makes you think he's highborn?" Bucky couldn't help but notice that Tony had looked away and wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Call it intuition," Bucky said dryly. "Crown Princes usually don't have much use for mercenaries other than that of their blades." He lifted his hand and set it lightly on Tony's waist, but he didn't move it up or down or any other direction. He wasn't holding Tony in place. He was merely connecting them with a bit of touch. Grounding them. 

Tony's eyes flashed up at him, then away again quickly. "He must be something special, then." He retracted his hand. Bucky caught it in the air before it could go far and brought his palm to his lips and kissed it. 

"Damned special," Bucky murmured. "And if all I got was one night, I'd be content with that." He kissed the tips of Tony's fingers. "If that's what he wanted."

"And what if he wanted more than just one night?" Tony looked wary. Bucky wanted to know why, badly, but he wasn't going to shatter this fragile moment between them.

"I'd count myself one of the luckiest bastards in all Tamriel," Bucky said honestly. He moved his hand from Tony's waist rather than releasing Tony's hand and trailed his fingers lightly over Tony's cheek and followed the line of his fussy, short beard. "Not sure I have enough septims squirrelled away to afford a man like that, though."

Tony scoffed. "If he's a crown prince, why would you need any money at all?" He wasn't looking at Bucky directly, but rather out of the corner of his eye.

"I get the feeling this particular prince doesn't like being prince all that much," Bucky said honestly. He traced his thumb along Tony's jaw. "Seems to me, even if he did, I should still want to make any husband of mine happy in any way I can. I have a lot of gold, a lot of things worth a lot of money. I'm just not sure it's enough for a prince."

"I'll let you in on a secret," Tony whispered. Bucky leaned even closer, as if he needed to in order to better hear the secret. "This crown prince doesn't give a damn about money, not so long as I can keep forging." 

"And what about the rest?" Bucky asked. "Do you care about - about what I told you earlier?" He couldn't make himself say HYDRA now, not at this moment. It was too sour a reminder for too precious a moment.

"Yes," Tony said softly, "but only because it means I want to kill them all with my bare hands." He reached up and slid one hand around the side of Bucky's neck. "Do you care that I gave the crown to my cousin and chose to be a blacksmith and an adventurer instead?"

"Only makes me like you more," Bucky admitted with a chuckle. 

"Good," Tony said, and sealed their lips together with a warm kiss. Bucky held Tony with both hands, tightening them around his waist and pulling him closer. Tony threaded his fingers into Bucky's hair and wrapped his other hand around the back of Bucky's neck. Bucky licked into Tony's mouth, chasing the taste of ale and sweet dumplings. 

Steve had been on his mad hunt to get back to Peggy for the better part of a year, now. He'd taken the time to find Bucky, first, but Steve was a sworn man. Bucky had decided, once he was more or less himself again, that he wanted something like that. He hadn't had anyone at all since he was a fresh-faced young soldier in the Legion out of a small squadron in Winterhold. He'd been taken by HYDRA so soon, though. He wasn't quite thirty, but Skyrim was a harsh place to live, and Nords didn't live terribly long lives like the mer did. He only had so much time left to enjoy going out and exploring the reaches of Skyrim, or even the rest of Tamriel. He wanted a companion who could join him on those adventures, someone to warm his bed at night and share his meals on the road and fight bandits and draugr by his side - and also someone to take to the small home he'd built for himself near Rorikstead. He wanted, not just to live, but to live well and happy. Steve and Sam had finally convinced him he deserved such a thing. Putting on the Amulet of Mara had been a declaration of that. Others had expressed an interest, certainly, but Bucky hadn't quite been ready to retire his daggers for good and all. With Tony, he felt, perhaps he didn't need to do that. Perhaps he could begin building some sort of life with him, beginning here and now.

He tugged Tony's shirt from his pants and slid his palms underneath it against warm skin. Tony pressed closer, tugging lightly at Bucky's hair and earning himself a soft moan from Bucky. He nipped gently at Bucky's bottom lip and kissed his jaw and then down his neck. Tony was tugging at Bucky's leather chestpiece, not quite hurried, but eager. He knew, intuitively or from long practice crafting the same sorts of gear, where all the fastenings and holds were. Bucky tugged Tony's shirt over his head, then helped Tony remove his chest piece and set it to the side. They came together again in another heated kiss, the fires within them stoking from a low simmer to something hotter. 

Tony tugged at Bucky's belt and sat it on the table behind them, the daggers in their sheaths clattering loudly. Bucky stepped out of his boots and nearly stumbled, and they both took a moment to laugh quietly. Bucky held Tony's elbow as he did the same, and then they stopped for a moment, staring at each other.

"Are you sure?" Tony asked, suddenly uncertain.

"Yeah," Bucky said with a nod. He was, even if there were still things they needed to discuss, conversations that needed to be had. It could wait. "Are you?"

"Yes," Tony said, sounding certain. His shoulders were hunched, a little, though, and while he was looking Bucky in the eyes, Bucky could see the hesitation he was trying to hide. 

Bucky walked to him and wrapped his arms around Tony, holding him close and kissing his hair. "It doesn't have to be tonight," he said. "And it… it doesn't have to mean forever." That was painful, but honest. He'd meant what he'd said earlier. If Tony wanted only this one night with him, he'd take that and consider himself lucky. 

"It's not that," Tony said, pulling back enough to look at Bucky. Bucky got the feeling that part, at least, was wholly honest. "It's - a lot of other things, I'll be honest, but it isn't that. I want this. I like you. Something about you calls to me, and I don't want to let that go. But there are other things. Things that need explaining. And I don't want to talk about those tonight."

"It's the same with me," Bucky said honestly. "We can talk through it on the road, I suppose. It will take a long time to get to Riften. And if we don't want to join before Mara by then, we don't have to." It made him ache to think about that, but it was exactly that simple. 

"All right," Tony said, a faint smile on his lips. "All right." He kissed Bucky again and tugged at Bucky's shirt, baring him from the waist up so he could match Tony. Bucky broke from their kiss to tug it over his head and paused before diving back into things, allowing Tony to look his fill at the scars that littered his body. Tony, he noticed, was not unscathed, either. He grazed his fingers along a long-healed gash on Tony's side and a thin, pinked scar on the inside of Tony's arm. He bent and kissed a puckered, fist-sized burn scar near the center of Tony's chest. Tony traced over the long, brutal scar that ran down Bucky's left shoulder on the front side of his chest. Someone had tried to hack off his arm, and it was only a fancy bit of healing magic that had saved his life and the arm. Tony pressed his lips to it delicately, and Bucky shivered.

He took his time unlacing Tony's pants, and Tony did the same for him, their fingers tangling with each other's as they kissed. It wasn't rushed. There wasn't any real hurry - but the bit of fire that had dulled when they'd broken apart to reassure one another had sparked back to life, a quiet but insistent roar in the background. Bucky was half hard by the time Tony finished with the fastenings, those lithe fingers grazing against him again and again as he'd worked. 

He wrapped his arms around Tony, fitting them under Tony's thighs, and lifted him. He grinned into Tony's mouth as he carried Tony over to his bed and laid him out before the fire, beneath him. Bucky kissed him deeply, feeling as if he were consuming Tony's very soul. Tony kissed back with just as much fervor, his hands buried in Bucky's hair to anchor him in place, and his legs wrapped around Bucky's thighs to hold him still. 

Bucky tugged Tony's pants down, over his hips and ass, down his thighs, until he could go no further with the way Tony was currently wrapped around him. He didn't mind. He kissed down Tony's neck to his chest, flicking over his dusky nipples with his tongue and then down to his belly button and further. Tony kept one hand in Bucky's hair, but he didn't tug or pull or direct, just scratched Bucky's scalp gently and ran his fingers through the long brown locks. Tony's legs fell to the bed, his thighs spread as wide as he could make them with his pants still trapping them. Bucky wrapped one hand around the base of his cock and licked a long stripe from his fingers to the crown. Tony hummed, a low, satisfied sound, and Bucky smirked up at him. He took a moment to tug Tony's pants off entirely and toss them to the floor before taking Tony's cock in hand once more and wrapping his mouth around the head to suck lightly and dip his tongue into the slit. 

"Divines, yes, Bucky," Tony praised quietly. His fingers in Bucky's hair were a little more urgent, but not by much. It had been a long time since Bucky had done anything like this, he could admit that, but it felt good. He hadn't forgotten, at least. He slid down Tony's cock, fitting more of it into his mouth, and ran his tongue around the head, sucking lightly to add more pressure. Tony hummed again, his head tossed back to expose the long, golden column of his throat. The firelight danced over his naked skin, and Bucky felt as if he were worshiping some ancient, forgotten deity. 

Tony spread his legs a little wider, and Bucky slid his free hand from the outside of Tony's knee clear up to Tony's hip, following the line of muscle in his thigh. He wasn't bulky like Steve or even defined like Bucky himself, but his muscle was firm and compact - from repetitive use and heavy lifting more from fighting. Tony squirmed in his hold, and Bucky cut his eyes up to Tony, even as he sunk deeper on Tony's cock, nearly gagging himself. It was worth it - very worth it - when that startled a groan from Tony. 

"Divines," Tony muttered. "Do that again." Bucky couldn't quite smirk with his mouth full, but he tried anyway, even as he backed off and sank back down. It was easier the second time, as he tried to remember to open his throat. He still wasn't taking all of Tony, either. "Oh, that's perfect," Tony murmured, stroking Bucky's hair. "Just perfect."

Bucky teased Tony for a few more minutes, rubbing the sensitive spot behind Tony's balls where he knew Tony could feel it the most. Tony was writing, nearly arching off the bed at some points, his moans and soft praises louder now. 

"Stop," Tony murmured at one point, and Bucky, fearful, immediately pulled away and removed his hands entirely. Tony rolled to the side, entirely unaware of Bucky's internal crisis over having done something wrong, and fiddled with the small cabinet beside the bed. He rolled to the side and held out a small vial with something like a triumphant grin. When he noticed Bucky's distress, however - and he noticed almost immediately, despite Bucky trying to hide it - he dropped the vial, sat up, and cradled Bucky's face in his hands. "What's wrong?"

"I - you said stop," Bucky said quietly, reaching up to take one of Tony's hands. He pressed a tender kiss to his calloused palm. "I thought I'd done something wrong." It wasn't hard to admit that, though he thought it might have been, had it been anyone else.

"Oh no," Tony said gently, kissing Bucky so very tenderly. "You are doing everything right. I only wanted that." He nodded at the vial by his thigh. "I want you inside me," he whispered, his lips grazing over Bucky's cheek. "If you will."

"Yes," Bucky whispered back, his voice rough with want and heat. "Yes." He kissed Tony, a little rougher, a little more taking rather than giving. Tony opened for him beautifully, drawing him back as he lay across the bed. Bucky found the vial and unstoppered it easily, his fingers sure and steady, despite the flutter of nerves low in his belly. He devoured Tony's mouth, smirking a little as Tony rutted against his belly, his hard cock demanding friction and attention. Bucky used his free hand to spread Tony's legs a little further, once his fingers were slick with whatever oily substance had been in the vial, and the found Tony's entrance the way his arrows found their mark - without fail.

Tony moaned into Bucky's mouth at the first breech, and he arched against him when Bucky's knuckle drug against his rim and twisted inside him. Bucky nipped down Tony's throat, and his blood sang from the soft hitches of Tony's breath and the gentle praises he whispered and the quiet demands of  _ more  _ and  _ faster _ . Bucky didn't linger, as requested, joining a second finger to the first. Tony shuddered beneath him, his fingers digging into the meat of Bucky's shoulders as he sighed with pleasure. 

There was very little Bucky would not do for Tony at that moment. He twisted and opened his fingers, thrusting them in and out to prepare him to take something a fair bit bigger. When the movements came easy, he added a third finger and moved his lips down from sucking bruises into Tony's neck and collar to his nipples, sucking at first one, then dragging his tongue across the scar in the center of his chest to tease the other. Tony made the sweetest sounds, moaning and writhing, cursing and praising, begging and demanding. 

"Stop teasing," Tony whined, and Bucky hid his smile against Tony's chest. "I need you inside me. Now. Bucky. Please. Divines, don't  _ torture _ me." He was such a dramatic little shit, Bucky thought fondly. 

"Very well," Bucky said, leaning up to kiss Tony thoroughly. He slipped his fingers free and wiped them clean on a spare bit of Tony's bedclothes. He spared a moment to remove his pants, then he found the vial of oil and slicked up his cock. He was determined to do this right. It may have been a damned long time, but he remembered, and he wouldn't have Tony hate him in the morning - even if sitting a horse likely wouldn't be comfortable.

Bucky wrapped one arm under and around Tony's thigh and guided his cock into Tony, slowly and gently. Tony sucked in a sharp breath as the head of Bucky's cock breached the first ring of muscle inside him. Bucky offered Tony his hand, and Tony twined their fingers together over his heart, over the scar. It was a little awkward, but Bucky bent to kiss him again, making short, shallow thrusts as he worked his way into Tony deeper and deeper. When he finally could go no further, he stopped for a moment - though it felt like one of the hardest things he'd done in the past decade. Tony was tight and burning hot and Bucky felt utterly consumed by him. 

"Move," Tony whispered. "I'm all right." He smiled softly and lifted their joined hands to kiss the inside of Bucky's wrist at his pulse point. Bucky nodded and withdrew, slowly. Tony dug his heel into Bucky's ass, and Bucky took the hint. Never let it be said he didn't pay attention. He thrust in sharply, not quite as fast or as rough as he could have been, but it made Tony gasp. His eyes fluttered shut, and his fingers dug into Bucky's shoulder. " _ Divines _ , yes. Again, Bucky. Please. Like that."

Bucky repeated the same thrusts, slow to withdraw and sharp and fast back in, until Tony was a babbling wreck. "Faster, Bucky, please. Don't - don't slow down. Fuck me like you mean it. Come on. Please. Divines curse you. I -" Tony's complaint as Bucky had withdrawn slowly once more changed into a loud, sudden groan as Bucky snapped his hips towards Tony's and began to, as Tony had requested, fuck him in earnest.

He was beautiful. Bucky was panting, already sweating, and watching the firelight dance and glow over Tony's glistening skin. He shifted Tony's leg up to his shoulder and managed a deeper thrust with a new angle, and Tony was very near to screaming with each thrust, now. Bucky kissed his calf and didn't stop. He felt his balls tightening, the simmer of heat low low in his belly burning hotter and hotter until it was ready to explode from him. He wrapped one hand around Tony's cock and Tony gripped the bedclothes beneath him with his now-empty hand. 

Tony shouted wordless cry as he came over Bucky's fist and across his own chest. Bucky bent low over Tony and crushed their mouths together in a sloppy kiss as he tipped over the edge after him, spilling deep inside Tony. He pressed his forehead to Tony's and took a moment to just breathe, to get his bearings once more. Tony was smiling up at him, and Bucky offered him one in return. 

Extracting himself was less pleasant, and Tony groaned again. Bucky lowered Tony's leg slowly and gently, working his fingers into Tony's hip to massage away any lingering pain. Tony was boneless on the bed, and while Bucky longed to flop over him and enjoy the moment, too, it could wait a moment more. He found a pitcher of water and a cloth and poured some out in a washbowl, then carried it over to Tony. He ignored Tony's grumbling as he cleaned them both up, paying special, almost reverent attention to Tony, bathing the come and sweat from his skin. When he was finished, he put the bowl on the windowsill to dispose of the water later, and the crawled into the bed alongside Tony. 

Tony immediately wrapped his arms around Bucky and tossed a leg over his hip. He kissed him gently. "That was fairly perfect," Tony said, drowsy and still warm. 

"Only fairly?" Bucky teased, one of his hands trailing up Tony's side gently. He kissed Tony's hair. "I'll be sure to make it more adequate next time."

"You have yourself a deal," Tony murmured, already part way to sleep. Bucky smiled up at the ceiling and sent a brief prayer of thanks to Mara for blessing him with a gift like Tony. Even if this was the only night he got with the man, he'd take it and remember it fondly for the rest of his days. 


	5. Chapter 5

The scrape of a key in the lock - even from across the room and over the crackle and snap of the burning embers in the hearth and the birdsong outside - woke Bucky only enough to shove his hand under the pillow to find the dagger he always kept there. His hand found nothing but air, at first. It woke him a little more as a low jolt of panic pushed him to find a suitable weapon with which to defend himself. He found one tucked into the bed frame, beside the mattress. His hand closed around the hilt just as the door opened. He threw it toward the intruder without looking, without stopping to think - or to realize that the man had a  _ key _ . 

"What the fuck!" The shout was startled, but not fearful. Bucky sat up, the furs slipping down to his waist. The man at the door was a Breton, dark skinned and tall. He looked from the still quivering blade embedded in the door frame over to Bucky, eyes wide. 

"Who are you?" Bucky demanded, voice low and rough from sleep. He could see his daggers across the room on the trestle table - along with his armor, his bow, his pack, and a few swords and other bits and pieces Tony had crafted casually tossed on the table awaiting further work or some customer or other. They were too far away, and Bucky's use of magic was limited at best. He curled his hands into fists, determined, at least, to try. 

"I'm Jim Rhodes," he said slowly. He then sighed and shook his head. "Tones, man, what did I say about sleeping with assassins?"

"Nat don't count, honey bear," Tony mumbled, turning over and snuggling against Bucky's side, one arm latching to Bucky's hip. 

"Tony," Bucky said, resting one hand on Tony's arm, "I think you should wake up." 

Rhodes snorted. "Yeah. Good luck with that. Look, I'm going to wait outside. I'll get the forge hot." Rhodes turned and went back outside, but Bucky was almost painfully aware that he hadn't locked the door. 

Bucky sighed and turned, half lying on the bed, propped on his elbow. He ran his fingers through Tony's hair and bent to kiss his temple. "Tony, doll, I think your friend is waiting to speak to you." 

"No," Tony whined, turning his face toward the bed. 

Bucky smiled, softly, and trailed his fingers down Tony's bare back. In the crisp light of morning, even through the frosted windows, Tony looked even more beautiful. Bucky traced his shoulder and spine, his fingers light and barely-there. Tony squirmed, but Bucky could see the smile on his face. He bent and kissed a trail over Tony's shoulder and up to his neck, finding his ear under his black curls and nibbling gently at the shell. Tony finally turned his head and captured Bucky's mouth in a kiss. Neither of them had particularly nice breath after the previous night, but it didn't seem to matter much to either of them for that first, sweet moment. 

"Morning," Tony greeted with a dopey-looking smile after he pulled away. Bucky returned the smile, then pressed a kiss to Tony's forehead before sliding out of the bed. He asked after Tony's washroom and borrowed it for several minutes, cleaning himself up as well as he could, then returning to the main room to dress in his clothes from the day before. As Tony did the same, he found a kettle for coffee and had it nearly ready by the time Tony was ready to head outside. Tony kissed him sweetly as he accepted a mug from him, and then they left the warmth and small bubble of peace and happiness they'd created for themselves the night before.

Rhodey was by the forge, pounding a dent out of a set of steel plate armor at the workbench. Tony threw his arms around the man from behind. "Rhodey, you are a terrible person. I need you to know and accept this before I leave you to work my forge."

"Oh, I'm working your forge for you, am I?" Rhodes asked mildly. He put the hammer to the side and turned once Tony released him and took a step back. "Now that Peggy's back, you're going to run off again, and then I'm going to get some sort of ransom note again, and I'm going to have to come save your skinny ass -"

"You did  _ not _ save me," Tony said, grinning despite his sharp counterargument. "I saved myself, I'll have you know."

"Oh, sure," Rhodes said with a tolerable nod. "So you mean you  _ weren't  _ bleeding out on the side of the road and at risk of freezing to death?"

"It wasn't my fault they took my boots," Tony protested. "And anyhow, Clint is coming with me. Bucky, too." He looked to Bucky. "Bucky, this is my Rhodey. He's my best friend. Don't believe a word he tells you about me. He speaks nothing but lies and slander."

Bucky managed to crack a smile at Tony, then looked to Rhodes and frowned. "Sorry about the knife."

"What knife?" Tony asked immediately, eyes narrowing.

"The one he threw at my  _ head _ , Tones," Rhodes said, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked at Bucky. "I'd say don't worry about it, but seriously - I'm getting old. I don't want to die yet." He looked back to Tony. "I thought we talked about the whole sleeping with assassins thing?"

Tony waved that away. "And like I said, Nat doesn't count. It wasn't like that, and you know it." Tony looked to Bucky, his big brown eyes wide and full of something Bucky couldn't quite put his finger on. He didn't like to see it, though. "Clint and I had run into Nat on one of our trips, and she came back to Solitude with us for a while. Not long, but she wouldn't stay at the Winking Skeever or anywhere else. She slept at mine or Clint's houses, instead. Rhodey came over one morning and used his key to get in, and she nearly killed him. It really wasn't - wasn't anything more than her sleeping in my bed, though. I only have the one, and she didn't want to stay by herself at Clint's at the time."

Bucky frowned. "Even if you'd had sex with her, who am I to be critical? It's not like I could expect you to never have been with anyone else before me. That's unrealistic." He shrugged a little, but he still felt uncomfortable by Tony's curious stare. Rhodes had a similar expression. He stepped forward and kissed Tony's temple, giving him a soft squeeze with one arm around his waist. "I'm going to find Steve and let him know I'll be heading out with you and Clint. I'll find you later?"

"Of course," Tony said with a nod. "Clint will be ready to leave around midday, if that's all right with you. I'll probably head up to the palace to say goodbye to Peggy and Pepper before then, if you want to stay there."

Bucky nodded, but he didn't comment. He doubted he'd feel comfortable trapped in the palace for a few hours. That was all right, though. He could stop by the Temple of the Divines, perhaps. There was little time for prayer on the road, and he wasn't a particularly pious man, but he figured the Divines had kept him around for some reason or other, so the least he could do was thank them for it - and he could thank them for Tony. He could also ask them to bless their quest and ask that they be kept safe.

Plan in mind, Bucky headed down the switchback path for the main road that would lead him to the palace. He smiled at the kids running along, playing tag, and neatly avoided their game when they tried to rope him into it. He tossed a couple septims to an old beggar, and nodded to the priest tending to the flowers outside of the Hall of the Dead. It was a nice morning - cold, but not frozen, and bright and clear. It would be a good day to travel. He wondered, idly, if they'd take horses or if they'd walk. He felt bad for being so rough with Tony the night before if they were taking horses - even if Tony had been begging for it, that would not be comfortable.

When he got to the palace, he found Steve, Peggy, Pepper, and Peggy's housecarl - he never got the man's name - eating breakfast at a small trestle table off to the side of the throne. Steve waved for him to join, and Bucky did, only after looking first to Peggy for confirmation, and then to Pepper and the housecarl for the same. He got a warm smile and a nod from Peggy, a measured look and a short nod from Pepper, and a deceptively bland smile and easy gesture of acceptance from the housecarl. 

"Where've you been, Buck?" Steve asked once Bucky was seated beside him. "I figured you'd have come back here last night, but Phil said the guards never saw you again."

"I, uh, went with Tony and Clint to the Winking Skeever," he answered. He hoped Steve wouldn't press the issue and assume that he'd stayed there for the night. He wasn't sure how Peggy would feel about his sleeping with her cousin - the actual  _ crown prince _ \- or how Pepper, who was close to Tony in a way Bucky could see but didn't understand, would feel about such a thing. He should probably reevaluate his priorities for visiting the temple, too. He needed to pray long and hard to Julianos for some damn wisdom because what in the hell was Bucky  _ thinking _ , getting involved with someone so above his station? 

"I see Tony didn't scare you off, at least," Pepper said with a small, teasing smile. 

"We had a good time," Bucky said, and he was surprised by how honest he sounded. He'd known last night that he'd had a good time with Tony and Clint, but freely admitting that in front of strangers seemed dangerous and risky in a way Bucky so often wasn't. He took a bite of bacon to stop himself saying more.

"What are your plans, now?" the housecarl, Phil, Bucky assumed, asked quietly. "Steve and Peggy have been discussing his role here, in Solitude, as a captain of the Legion." 

Bucky chased his bacon with a swallow of light, summer ale. "I thought to join Clint and Tony, actually," he said, looking at Steve from the side. He didn't dare meet Steve's expression head on. He wasn't one to be cowed by Steve, but he also didn't want to see his disappointment. 

"But - Buck," Steve protested softly. "We just got here. We - we finally  _ made it _ . We can just… rest now." 

Bucky shrugged, feeling uncomfortable for having this conversation in front of these people he didn't know. "You made it. And I'm glad for you, I am. But I think, maybe, I'm not ready to settle into a quiet life." He didn't say that he felt he still had too much to atone for, though that was true and Steve could likely pick up on it. He just didn't want anyone asking questions. He spread some honey on a slice of bread, still warm from the ovens. "We're leaving after midday." He looked to Peggy. "Tony mentioned he'd come by and see you before then."

"I'm sure he will," Peggy said with a small smile and a nod. "Thank you for joining them, Bucky. If you were able to keep Steve alive for this long, I'm sure you'll have no problems keeping up with my cousin. He tends to find himself in more trouble than he realizes too often." She lifted her cup and hid a smile behind it. "He could use someone like you to balance him and keep him steady." 

Bucky didn't know how Peggy had figured out that he and Tony had spent the night together, or that they'd decided to enter into a sort of informal engagement, not when no one else knew and they'd only just decided that last night in Tony's house, but he wouldn't insult her by pretending she didn't know what she was talking about. Not that he acknowledged her claim, though. He kept his face blank as he took a bite of bread. Pepper, across from Peggy, sighed and shook her head and looked to be muttering some sort of prayer to the Divines. 

"Will you be needing anything before you're off?" Phil asked pleasantly.

"Not for myself," Bucky said, shaking his head. "I haven't checked with Clint or Tony, yet, though. I've no idea what they might need."

"I do," Phil said with a nod. "I'll have a few things ready for them when they arrive later." 

"It's appreciated," Bucky said with a nod. He'd never in his wildest dreams thought he'd be dining with the queen of Skyrim, but here he was - and her housecarl was going to gather supplies for his quest with Clint and Tony. He wasn't honestly sure what to make of any of this. Was he the one who'd gone mad from Shegorath's meddling, this time, rather than Pelagius? Only, he didn't  _ feel _ mad. Overwhelmed, perhaps, but wasn't that how madness began? No one really knew they were mad until they found themselves locked away for their own safety.

"Can - can we at least talk about this?" Steve asked.

Bucky looked at Steve's imploring expression and didn't find himself as drawn to it as he once had. "No, Stevie," he said. "I'm going."

"Steve," Peggy said, and rested her hand on his arm. That was all. Steve looked at her, and for a long moment, that was all they did. Finally, Steve nodded.

"Be safe," Steve said, clapping a heavy hand on Bucky's shoulder. "I - I can't lose you again, okay? Don't do anything stupid."

"How can I?" Bucky asked, smirking just a little. "You're keeping all the stupid here with you." Steve laughed and shook his head.

Bucky had expected an argument. He'd expected Steve to demand he stay, or for Steve to try to convince him somehow. Usually, Steve didn't have to do any of that when it came to Bucky because Bucky was already at his back. This was a different time, though. Bucky wasn't sorry for that at all. 

They ate their breakfast companionably, though Bucky was mostly silent. He listened as Pepper detailed some of the problems Solitude itself was facing along with some of the wider problems the empire was facing. No one mentioned HYDRA. Bucky figured they likely didn't want too many people to know about it, and he couldn't blame them for that. He wouldn't want to many people to know what sort of threat was looming on the horizon, either. 

Bucky dismissed himself from the table almost as soon as he was able to without feeling rude. He didn't want to know what they were doing with the the empire, what they were planning. He knew how being in Thrall worked. If the Thalmor somehow managed to get ahold of him once more, he would tell them everything he knew, and he didn't want that. He wasn't surprised when Steve followed him out to the courtyard. 

"Buck, can we at least talk about this before you go running off?" Steve had his determined face on, and Bucky sighed internally. There was no avoiding this conversation. 

Still. "Don't see what there is to talk about," he tried. "I'm going."

"No, I - I realize that," Steve said, and then he grimaced. "It's just… I get the feeling you're doing this because of Tony. Or maybe  _ for  _ him?" Steve gave Bucky a  _ look _ , but Bucky refused to answer. He wouldn't give Steve any additional information to use as fuel. "I've heard of him, okay? He's worked smithys in all the holds. He's got a - a reputation. And I don't want you to get hurt."

Well. Bucky could see where Tony's earlier hesitance about sharing a bed with the woman named Nat had been a point of contention for him. It still didn't bother Bucky. "You know what I've done," Bucky said evenly, "what I'm capable of. Do you really think that it would bother me, even if I was interested in Tony, if he'd fucked more people than a common whore? That's low, even for you."

Steve did that thing where his face where he was trying to be indignant and righteous all at the same time. "You haven't  _ heard _ -"

"Nor do I need to," Bucky said with a shrug. "What happens between Tony and myself is our business, don't you think? If something happens or if nothing happens. I'm entitled to that bit of privacy, I think." Steve's look soured. "Worry about yourself and Peggy, Steve. Seems like you've got an awfully big job to do, now, and I don't envy you. I'm going to go kill giants and draugr and bandits. I'll look for a snowy sabre cat pelt for you, hm?" He turned without waiting for Steve's reply and slipped away from him quickly and easily, calling on old talents the Thalmor had forced him to learn. Maybe he could find the peace he'd had earlier again once he was inside the Temple of the Divines. 


	6. Chapter 6

The Blue Palace had always been a place for leaving, Tony thought. He'd hated it when he was growing up in those cold, impersonal halls. Peggy had done a lot to change it, of course, but Tony still didn't like it. He refused to live there, even now, and while Peggy claimed she understood, he doubted that very much. He avoided Howard's stare where his portrait hung in the foyer and walked straight past it to Bruce's chambers, instead. He wasn't sure where Bucky was, yet, but that was all right. He figured the man would find them before they set off from the gates.

If he didn't, well. It wasn't like Tony hadn't been turned down before.

The moment Tony stepped into Bruce's work room, Bruce held up a finger. "Just a moment. This is… delicate." Tony waited, rocking back on his heels. Bruce added something to a big phial on the alchemy lab and sighed as the whole mixture turned a strange gray color and began to fizz and emit light gray smoke.

"Don't worry, Brucie, you'll get it right one of these days," Tony said, trying for encouraging. Bruce turned and gave Tony a tired smile. He went to the small basin nearby and washed his hands before patting them dry. 

"Phil asked me to gather some things for you before you left," Bruce said, gesturing to a collection of small containers. One, Tony noticed immediately, was a philter of health. Potent, too, judging from the deep crimson color. "Be sure to take those along, would you? I'd hate to think of you out there, needing something and not having it."

"Aw, Brucie," Tony said with a grin. "That was one of the first things you taught me to craft. I can make my own, if I ever need to."

"And what happens if you get stuck somewhere with no alchemy lab, or without the proper ingredients?" Bruce asked mildly. "Just take them, Tony. You can find me some crimson nirnroot or powdered mammoth's tusk or, dare I say it, jarrin root, if you feel you have to repay me." 

"I'll bring back every bit of it I can carry," Tony promised, knowing as well as Bruce did that the only one of those three he'd find would be the mammoth's tusk, and it certainly wouldn't be in powdered form. He was  _ not _ going back to Blackreach unless he had no choice, thanks very much. Bruce smiled, and that was enough.

"Good luck, Tony, and be careful, all right?" Bruce squeezed Tony's shoulder warmly, about the most contact he would allow himself to have with anyone.

"Always," Tony said, plastering on a cheerful face. He collected the vials and tucked them carefully into his pack before shouldering it once more. "You know I wish you'd come with us, right? We had so much fun, the last time."

"No," Bruce said with a tolerable smile. "I'd rather stay here and work. I like caring for people. You know that."

"But fighting as an orc is fun!" Tony needled. Bruce gave him a flat look, and Tony laughed. "Be that way, then. Good luck with your potion. If I find anything strange or unusual, I'll try to bring that back, as well."

"Just keep yourself safe," Bruce requested. Tony nodded, a little more seriously that time, and he took his leave. He ignored Howard's ever-judging stare and made his way up the stairs to greet his cousin. She was standing off to the side with Phil. Steve was nowhere to be seen, and Tony could admit to some relief at that.

"Hi, Pegs," Tony said, slipping up beside her and kissing her cheek. She returned the affection absently as she read over the missive in her hand. Tony didn't bother to look at it. "Anything else you need from me before I go?"

"When you get to Riften," Peggy said, "tell Fury I should like to see him personally, if he could spare the time to come and visit with me. We have a lot to discuss, and I should feel much better about it if we could have that conversation in person, rather than relying on letters and couriers."

"Of course," Tony said with a nod. "I'm sure Maria Hill can run things in his stead." Fury's stewardess was nearly as terrifyingly efficient as Pepper was, and Tony had a healthy dose of respect for her. "Need me to find anything special for you?"

"Only the secret to immortality," she said with a wry smile. 

Tony forced a grin. "I'll search again, Pegs," he said. It was a code, of sorts. The Altmer lived the longest natural lives of all the mer. Tony had been more than a little in his cups when he'd said the secret to killing someone who was mostly immortal was to knowing how they got that immortality in the first place. Since then, it had been a code for when Peggy needed someone quietly taken care of, but whom she couldn't risk sending anyone after herself. She knew members of the Dark Brotherhood, of course, and acquiring their services didn't take anything so drastic as a Black Sacrament. But sometimes, she didn't want to risk even their knowledge of who the target was - or why they needed to be killed. 

It fell to Tony to ensure those people met their deaths. He didn't so much mind being her secret headsman, not really. She'd only asked him twice before, and both times had been for damn good causes. He was certain this time would be no different. 

"Be safe, little cousin," she said, wrapping her arms around him in a warm embrace. He felt her slip a paper in his pocket as she pulled away. It was something Tony had taught her himself, and she'd become very good at it. "Send word back from each hold to let me know you've arrived there safely. If you can't make it to Riften in a month, I'll think something's happened, and I'll send a squadron of Legion after you."

"Yes, my Queen," he taunted lightly. "You be safe as well."

"I'll see to that," Phil said mildly.

"You always do," Tony agreed with a nod. "There's just a certain blond mass of muscle hanging about these days, and I worry."

"He was quite rude to you about the sword and shield," Phil said with a small smile playing at his lips. "Should we have him drawn and quartered?"

"I would pity the horses," Tony said, laughing. He shook his head. "No, of course not. Just. Perhaps a word in his ear about how very valuable such things are? And how long they took to craft? Dragonbone is  _ rare _ these days, after all." 

"I might have undersold it," Peggy said with an embarrassed shrug. "How much was that worth, Tony?"

"The sword? Perhaps a thousand septims, after I was done with it. And that's not including the pieces Bucky gave me to work with. The shield? Well over twenty thousand." Peggy's mouth dropped open. "It was worth it to get you back, Pegs."

"Very well," she said, composing herself. "I'll speak with him. If it means anything, he hasn't left it far behind since you gave it to him. He went to meet with Melinda to meet the other Legion stationed here, and he mentioned something about relearning to use a one-handed blade."

"Well, maybe it will get some use," Tony said with a shrug.

Peggy smiled secretively. "Bucky seems nice."

"Shove off," Tony complained immediately, rolling his eyes. 

"No, I mean it," she insisted. "Very level-headed. I mentioned it to him. Said he could balance you and keep you steady."

"Divines," Tony muttered. "Now he'll think I'm as mad as Pelagius." Peggy playfully shoved at his arm, and Tony couldn't quite repress his smile. He missed Peggy's playful side. It had been a very long few months without her, but had been even longer, these last few years, since the last time they'd been truly open with each other and wholly honest. She was Queen, now, and while he wouldn't trade places with her for anything in all Tamriel, he did miss  _ her _ and who she had been before. 

Maybe, he thought, he could be honest with her about this, and it wouldn't be a terrible thing. 

"Perhaps keep this between us," he said, lowering his voice, "but Bucky and I aren't only fooling about."

Phil nodded and offered Tony one of his secretive smiles. "It'll be safe with us. And congratulations. Tell us when you'll have the ceremony in Riften."

"Perhaps I'll come to see Fury instead," Peggy said. "It won't take so very long, by carriage, and I wouldn't miss that for my very own pet dragon."

"Miss what?" Pepper asked joining them. 

"Maybe tell Pepper," Tony allowed, spying Clint coming up the stairs. "It's time we're off, though. I'll send a message when we get to Riften."

Pepper frowned at him for a moment. "Well, be careful, then. Keep Clint out of trouble, and make him keep  _ you _ out of worse trouble."

"Yes, Pepper dearest," Tony said with a happy laugh. She gave him a heavy purse of septims, and Tony handed it off to Clint, who promptly split it between both their packs. 

"Divines keep you all safe," Peggy said with a bow of her head.

Tony squeezed her hand, but he didn't reply. Clint nodded to him, and the two of them headed out of the palace. Tony was already wearing his leather armor, his ebony sword strapped to his back, and his dagger on his hip. Just as they left the courtyard, Bucky materialized out of the shadows and slid into place at Tony's side, a faint smile for them both.

"Got everything?" Bucky asked.

"Near as I can tell," Tony said with a nod. 

"Are we walking or taking horses?" Bucky asked.

"Walking," Clint answered. "We took horses once. Won't make that mistake again. They eat half again as much as the two of us combined, and making sure they stay in one place while we're doing whatever we need to do is more trouble than it's worth. Takes longer to get where we need to go, but it's worth it in the end."

Tony nodded. "We might end up on a carriage from Rorikstead to Whiterun, but mostly because there's a lot of nothing between the two. Not even bandits like the area because of the giants." Clint nodded along. "They have such nice treasure, though."

"Not this time," Clint said. "And not there. If we want to kill some giants, we can go after the ones near Whiterun. They've a new girl working the Skyforge there, anyhow. She might like whatever pieces we come across."

"All right," Tony agreed. "Never takes long for more giants to move in and take over, anyhow, and it's been, what, two years since we killed the last set?"

"Near abouts," Clint agreed with a nod and a grin. He looked at Bucky. "Don't worry. I'm a good shot, and Tony's quick. He kites them for me, and I shoot them with poisoned arrows."

Bucky shook his head. "I see now why everyone seemed so worried about the two of you. I'll have my work cut out for me."

"Just wait until we find some trolls," Tony said with a laugh. Bucky sighed, but he was smiling, so Tony counted it as a win. 

They seemed to make it to the gates in no time at all, and then they were free of Solitude. Tony felt like he could breathe again for the first time in months, like a boulder had been lifted from his chest. He took a deep breath to embrace the feeling, sucking in lungfuls of brisk, Frost Fall air. Bucky walked close enough beside him that their shoulders brushed, and Tony was unreasonably happy for that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was hella fun to write  
> i really only wrote the "beginning" - like how they get started and all  
> i have quite a lot more in my head, and i have backstories and worldbuilding things and all of it  
> if anyone actually wants more,
> 
>  
> 
> [come scream with me on tumblr](https://shyglittercreature.tumblr.com/)

**Author's Note:**

> if i'm missing any tags, please let me know


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